I think it's the election process itself that will bring volatility back into the market (both the gold market and the stock market). But I don't think the outcome will make that much of a difference. Or to put it another way, I'm probably not changing my GLD position regardless of whether Obama/Biden or Romney/Ryan win.

For anyone who wants to pick from among the list of stocks, then a "roll your own" approach could make sense.

However note that the fund's net assets as of 8/9 were $93 million. Yahoo reports its net assets at $74 million, but that's based on data as of 6/29. The price hasn't changed that much so it seems as if the number of shares available has increased by about 20% since then.

Well if Paulson starts selling, I predict IV could easily go up 50% or more. Sure, IV could be flat for awhile, but I suspect September and more focus on the upcoming elections will bring more trading back into this market and many others.

As I understand Ploutos’ premise, companies with high yields will see those yields trimmed as investors “trim the price of the stock” in response to the market’s perception of risk/reward. But Ploutos’ article seemed to focus on a “sweet spot” for S&P 500 stocks, while SDIV invests most of its fund outside the US.

In the US, for example, the market may “trim” a yield of 6%, but in Australia that may not be the case at all. Short-term interest rates are a lot higher there. Thus the spread between the yield for a company like Westpac (WBK) and the risk free rate there is different. The same may hold true for other countries represented in SDIV.

I’m not saying Ploutos is wrong or anything, but it would be interesting to see a global study of this phenomenon and what the dividend “sweet spot” might be on a worldwide basis.

Question 2

SDIV invests in some “business development companies,” which are essentially private equity companies (although I may not be using that term precisely).

For example, SDIV owns companies like Ares Capital Corp, Blackrock Kelso, and Prospect Capital Corp. These companies can charge management fees, which are referred to as "acquired fund fees" in the ETFs expenses.

Per Global-X materials:

“SDIV currently invests in some Business Development Companies (BDC’s), which often charge a management fee. The fees are reflected in the NAV of the Fund’s investment in these companies and are consistent with what an investor might expect if investing in these BDC’s directly - the fees are not part of the management fee of the Fund. The amount of Acquired Fund Fees will fluctuate depending on the Fund’s investments.”